French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villapin, speaking at a press
conference on Saturday at Helsingor, Denmark, reiterated the European
Union's commitment to keep to the enlargement timetable.

Mr Villapin noted that the EU would determine the list of candidate
countries, capable of concluding accession negotiations by the end of this
year, during the informal European Council in Brussels at the end of
October. He also said that the political commitment of the EU "15" to allow
the candidate countries to participate in the 2004 European Parliament
elections, as new member states, remained.

With regard to Cyprus, the French official said that the EU member states
support UN efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem and
that they would prefer a reunited Cyprus to join the EU.

The informal meeting at Helsingor took place on 30 and 31 August 2002 and
was at the Foreign Ministers' level. It has become an established tradition
to have such an informal ministerial meeting during each EU Presidency.

The President of the Republic, Mr Glafcos Clerides, met with the UN
Secretary-General's special adviser on Cyprus, Mr Alvaro de Soto, on Friday
morning. Present at the meeting were Attorney General, Mr Alecos Markides,
and Under Secretary to the President, Mr Pantelis Kouros.

Speaking to the press after the meeting, Mr de Soto was asked whether he
and the President discussed the agenda for the Paris meeting on 6 September
2002. The UN official replied that the agenda was already prepared.

The Council of Ministers, during its meeting on 28 August 2002 chaired by
President Clerides, has approved a commercial shipping agreement between
Cyprus and Slovenia and has authorised the Minister of Communications and
Works or the Acting Permanent Secretary of the Ministry to sign it.

The agreement provides for:

a) The equal treatment of vessels of one country, when docked in the ports
of another, with respect to the services offered, excluding some activities
to be decided by the national authorities.

b) The mutual recognition of each country's ship certificates and the
certificates and identity documents of seamen.

c) The limitation of delays and the simplification of the relevant
procedures.

d) The assistance and offering of help in the event of an accident at
sea.